Warm Feelings
by quenwheezha
Summary: Sasayan and Natsume, and the many times they reached an understanding of each other's feelings. Set after the manga.
1. Chapter 1

"Natsume-san." Natsume Asako sighed deeply, _'here they go again'_. She slowly turned around to face the boy who called out to her and waited in practiced patience.

The boy, who was not from Syoyo High by the looks of his uniform, reached inside his bag and handed her a single red rose, his head slightly bowed.

"I like you. Will you go out with me?"

Natsume stared at the boy sadly. This is the 25th time someone has confessed to her this month and the nth time that she has to reject someone and break their hearts.

"I'm sorry." The boy slowly looked up to her. "I cannot accept your feelings. We haven't even talked before, have we? I cannot go out with you just like that. Besides, I am completely busy right now as an entrance examinee."

There was sadness and hurt reflected in the boy's eyes and Natsume couldn't help but feel bad as well. After getting rejected by Micchan in her first year, she quite had a grasp of how the boys she rejects might feel. So, she sort of could empathize with them now although she still does not do well with boys.

The boy looked at her and a slight smile formed on his lips.

"I understand." Natsume sighed in relief, at least with this one she does not have to resort to being harsh, he got it immediately.

"I should have known, but I don't want to miss this chance you know. And I don't want any regrets."

Natsume just stood there and listened, she understands that. Somehow, she feels like this boy is quite different from the usual ones that approach her and although she rejected him, Natsume is glad that the boy does not insist himself to her. The least she could do was to listen to him for a few more minutes.

"When I saw you look so happy with him, I know I don't have any chances. But I'm still glad I confessed. Thank you for your response, Natsume-san." The boy bowed again and was preparing to leave.

Natsume would have let him leave, but there was something about what he said that made her stop the boy.

"Wait!" Natsume called, the boy stopped in his tracks. "Wh-What do you mean by 'him'?"

The boy stared at Natsume, confused, "That guy you're always together with. That short guy." He said simply.

Natsume felt her cheeks blush, "I-I'm not going out with Sasayan-kun!" she spoke, flustered.

She heard the boy laughed lightly, "Is that so? But you really look close. The other guys at my school were discouraged to confess because they thought you two were dating. Are you not really?" his tone turned teasingly, "Then, would you like to go-"

"No!" Natsume cut him off before he finished, and the boy looked at her in surprise, then he laughed loudly.

"I was only joking, Natsume-san. I'm sorry." Then he handed her the red rose again, "Here. I know I was rejected but please accept this. I would be happy if you would. Don't worry, I won't ever bother you again." Natsume reluctantly accepted the rose and with that, the boy bade his good bye and left her to herself.

Natsume felt herself relaxed with the boy gone and she continued her walk to the batting center. She and her friends have a study meet there and even with Haru gone and overseas, the group still frequently hangs out at Micchan's place.

She was busy with her thoughts that Natsume didn't hear the sound of Sasayan running to her side.

"Hey, Natsume." Sasayan said as way of greeting.

Natsume almost jumped in surprise upon hearing his voice. She was supposed to scold him or something but then the conversation she had with the boy earlier popped in her mind and she looked away and ignored him instead.

"What's this?" Sasayan was now asking, Natsume was determined to ignore him, she could still feel her cheeks red. Unfortunately, it was not what Sasayan was asking about.

Sasayan caught hold of one of Natsume's wrist and stared at the red rose she clutched between her fingers. Natsume hissed in protest and snatched her hand away.

"What are you doing?! I told you to stop doing things like that!"

Sasayan only stared at the object she had on her fingers. His expression unreadable.

"Who's that from?"

Natsume traced his eyes and saw that Sasayan was referring to the rose, she held it up on face level.

"Oh this? Some guy who confessed to me gave this."

Sasayan felt his face twitched in annoyance. He stared at the rose one more time before his eyes shifted to look at Natsume, her face tinge of pink. And without a word, he left Natsume and went ahead to the batting center.

Natsume was so surprised that she had to stop a moment to process what happened. Then she was quick to follow behind Sasayan.

"Hey! Sasayan-kun! Hey!" but Sasayan was simply ignoring her and didn't even look back as he quickened his pace.

"Hey! Sasayan-kun! Wait for me!"

' _What was that?'_

ooooo

Shizuku looked up from her notes when Sasayan entered the room.

"Oh, Sasayan, you're here. So now we're just waiting for Natsume."

Sasayan immediately took a seat opposite Shizuku and slumped down grumpily.

"She's coming."

Shizuku stared at her friend for a long time before she picked up one of her books and flipped to a few pages. "Did you two had a fight again?" She peeked at Sasayan from her book.

As far as Shizuku was concerned, the look that Sasayan gave might as well confirm what she just asked.

"Natsume-san is being an idiot again." He finally let out. "She accepted a rose from one of her suitors." He hmphed at that.

Shizuku dropped her book and crossed her arms over her chest, eyeing Sasayan with skepticism and interest.

"Are you perhaps jealous, Sasayan-kun?"

Sasayan looked like a deer caught in traffic light and Shizuku noted how he deliberately avoided her gaze and looked away, a faint red blush on his cheeks.

It was that moment that Natsume entered the room greeted by Micchan and she immediately marched towards where the two of them were.

"Natsume, you looked like you raced all the way here." Shizuku commented upon seeing her best friend.

Natsume took a few deep breaths before answering, "Ah Mitty. I'm sorry I got caught up in something on the way here." Then she turned to Sasayan angrily. "And you! What was that about?! Rushing to come here, you didn't even wait for me!" it was then that Shizuku noticed the red rose Sasayan mentioned earlier.

"Where did you get that, Natsume-san?"

Natsume turned to Shizuku and slowly sat beside her.

"Oh this? From that guy who confessed to me."

Shizuku eyed her doubtfully. "What? I thought you hate boys?"

"Huh? I still do."

"Then, what's with the rose?"

Natsume felt her cheeks go red again. "I-uh, well. There was something he told me and I got distracted. So, uhm, I took the rose. Bu-but! I still hate boys!"

Shizuku turned to look at Sasayan who was still looking away.

' _Oh well, whatever.'_ "Since you're here, we might as well start studying."

oooo

The study meeting went well. And although Shizuku was a bit irritated at Natsume at first (because she was stupid and easily distracted in lessons just like always), the three friends managed to make use of the hours productively. It was now 8:00 PM and the three agreed to put an end to their study session to head back to their homes.

"We'll be going now, Micchan-san. Thank you very much for accommodating us." Shizuku bowed lightly to Micchan who was at the counter.

"Don't mention it, Shizuku-chan. You know Haru's friends are all welcome here anytime." Shizuku smiled at that.

"Good bye, Micchan!" Natsume went after Shizuku who was at the door already.

Sasayan was the last one and he bade good bye as well.

"Baseball boy." Micchan called and Sasayan looked back.

"Don't get so worked up." Micchan grinned.

Sasayan sighed. "Shut up, manager." Micchan chuckled as Sasayan walked towards the door.

"Jealousy does not solve things, you know." He saw Sasayan glared at him annoyingly before the door closed.

oooo

"I'll be going ahead. Take care, Natsume-san, Sasayan-kun." Shizuku waved her two friends good bye and started her walk home.

"Byebye Mitty!" Natsume cheerfully waved back. When Shizuku no longer waved, she turned towards Sasayan who was standing a few feet from her.

"Come on Sasayan-kun, let's go home." She started walking as Sasayan walked beside her.

The walk home was silent and very awkward, something she rarely gets with Sasayan. Sasayan is a very cheerful person and he would always be the one to initiate conversations with Natsume even when the latter ignores him or when they are on one of their one-sided fights. So, it was quite a bit out of character for Natsume to have Sasayan so silent with her.

There was a long siilence before Sasayan finally spoke up. "So, this guy. Do you like him?"

Natsume paused in her tracks in surprise.

''Eh?! Wh-What are you talking about Sasayan-kun?"

For the first time since he ran off from her, Sasayan looked at Natsume in the eye.

"The guy who gave you that rose."

"What?! No, I'm not!" Natsume stated hotly.

Sasayan sighed deeply. "Look Natsume, I know you hate boys. So, for you to accept a rose from a boy must mean something, right?"

Natsume stared back at him like he was some idiot, in which she thinks he is. _'So, that was that.'_

"I told you, I was distracted so I accepted it unknowingly. I rejected him, like how I reject everyone else."

Sasayan looked unconvinced. "Distracted? How could you get distracted?"

It was then that Natsume's cheeks turned red again and Sasayan felt something hit him in the chest.

Sasayan turned around and continued walking. "I get it. Let's get you home, Natsume-san. It's getting late."

' _What? He gets what? Seriously this guy is driving me crazy!_

"Sasayan-kun! Hey, Sasayan-kun!"

He slowly turned around.

"What?"

There was a hint of hurt and something else reflected in his eyes that caught Natsume's interest.

"What is it, Natsume?"

A grin spread across Natsume's face.

"Are you perhaps jealous?"

Natsume burst into laughter the moment Sasayan avoided her gaze and continued on his tracks, looking irritated.

"HAHAHAHA you are jealous! Right, Sasayan-kun? HAHAHA."

Natsume was so caught up in her laughter that she didn't notice Sasayan stopped walking, Natsume bumped into him and Sasayan caught her by her waist and pulled her closer.

Natsume opened her eyes and was surprised to find Sasayan's face so close to her own.

"What if I am?" she heard him say and noticed that both of them were blushing.

Sasayan abruptly dropped his hands to his sides and looked away. He sighed deeply.

"I'm sorry Natsume-san." He looked at her, his usual smile on his face. "I got a bit weird today. Come on, let's get you home already." And he led the way again, Natsume following from behind.

A small smile crept up on her cheeks and Natsume whispered in a low voice only she can hear.

"Stupid Sasayan, what's there to be jealous about?"

"Oi Natsume, walk faster."

"I'm coming!"

 **This pairing needs more love! They're so adorable!**


	2. Chapter 2

_She slid open the door and was about to leave the room when Sasayan called out to her._

" _Natsume-san." Natsume looked back._

" _It's true that we're all going to be separated but I will go and visit you."_

 _And her cheeks turned red and she felt like crying because it was something she was thankful for to hear. Because Sasayan is her friend and the thought of going into a new school without Mitty Haru, or Sasayan with her terrified Natsume and she needed those words to feel at ease._

 _So, Natsume stared at Sasayan gratefully, "Yeah."_

But that had been months ago. Soon, after they started to settle into moving to university, the group of friends started seeing each other less and less. It has been three months now since the last time Natsume had seen any of her high school friends.

She understands this of course. There was so much work to do in preparation for university and when they finally started school, they were overwhelmed by the first week requirements and studying to do they barely had time to catch up even through texts and their group chats. Even the group at Kaimei seemed to have a lot of things at hand by the looks of it.

It's not like Natsume can do anything about it really. As much as she misses her friends, she can't just get in the way of their education. She has been quite busy as well in her specialist school. She also has to find some time to thank Mitty, her study sessions with her proved helpful during her first few weeks although she ought to start studying more seriously again soon. Her lessons are moving quite fast and more advanced and she knows that soon she can no longer make use of Mitty's old notes she specifically made for Natsume.

Suffice to say, she was doing quite better than she expected the first time she came to this school. She had also made quite a few friends, though the old ones she have were still better. Nevertheless, Natsume is grateful for the time spent with Mitty, Haru, Sasayan, and her other high school friends who taught her not to be lonely and be a better person. Now, she is able to make a few friends of her own in her new school without that much difficulty compared to before.

The school bell rang and Natsume was brought back to reality. Thankfully, her teacher didn't notice her mind wandering somewhere else. She just have to read the materials she didn't quite catch for today. Hopefully, they won't have a quiz next meeting, the lesson was quite difficult for Natsume and she has to reread a few times to understand it.

She walked out of the room when Maya, one of her friends caught up with her.

"Hey, Natsume!" Natsume paused to greet Maya.

"You were distracted again, weren't you? I saw that blank look on your face! What were you thinking about?"

Natsume looked at her before answering, "Just something from the past."

From behind them, two more people caught up with them and walked side by sides.

"I saw that too!" Ana snickered. "You weren't listening to the teacher!"

The girl beside her, Akiho nodded, "Good thing you weren't caught." Then they all laughed.

Natsume smiled at her friends having fun. They were nice people who invited Natsume during the second week of school when she was out eating alone. She first met Ana who is her classmate on another subject. Ana forgot her pencil case with her and Natsume let her borrow her pencil. It was when they started talking and Ana introduced Natsume to the two girls who she befriended with which also turned out to be Natsume's classmates in some subjects.

At first, Natsume was unsure what to feel and to do. She remembered middle school and was quite hesitant to make friends with them in fear of creating misunderstandings again. However, after a while and hanging out with them more, she realized they were more mature than she thought they were. They even laughed at the idea of them coming to hate Natsume for having boys confess to her on a daily basis.

"I don't think it's entirely your fault." Ana once said. "Besides if you want to reject them, then you should do so."

Akiho nodded in agreement. "So, what if the boy we like confess to you? It's not like we can stop them from doing so. Just make sure to reject them properly and it would be fine."

Maya conceded. "Boys. They make things complicated for us but we're not gonna let them get in the way of us girls. It is during these times when we have to come together as women of the world." She winked at Natsume and Natsume just had to smile brightly at that.

Back to the present, the four of them were walking towards the gate of the school to get some food to eat when Ana tapped Natsume by the shoulder and paused in her tracks. The rest of them stopped walking.

"Hey, look at that." She regarded with her eyes to the front gate.

Maya was the first one to react. "Ohh. Who is that young man standing by the gate?"

Akiho giggled. "He looks cute, don't you think? Though he's not that tall."

"He looks like he's waiting for someone. A girlfriend, maybe?"

"Ahhh. How lucky that girl could be." Maya turned to Natsume who was suddenly very silent. "Don't you think so, Natsume?"

Natsume didn't hear her, she was staring at the gate, looking at the guy that was leaning by it, his eyes searching around looking for someone among the crown of students.

"Sasayan-kun." Natsume whispered.

"Hmm? What was that Natsume?" Ana asked.

Maya looked from Natsume to Sasayan and back. "You know that guy?"

Natsume turned to her friends. "Ye-Yes. That's my friend, Sasayan-kun."

The three of them looked at her in surprised. "Sasayan?"

"The guy you can't shut up about?" Maya exclaimed.

"The Sasayan who confessed to you and your friend?" Akiho asked.

"That guy you're in love with?" Ana stated.

Natsume's cheeks went red. "Wh-Wha… I never said that!"

Ana ignored her and turned to Sasayan. "Well, what are you waiting for Natsume? He's waiting for you, you know." She winked mischievously.

"Bu-But how can you be sure it's me he is looking for?" Natsume asked lamely.

Akiho sighed. "Are you stupid? Who else would he visit here for? Go on. We'll be fine by ourselves." She gave Natsume a little push.

"Wa-Wait!"

The three friends walked ahead of Natsume but before they went out of the gate, they stopped when they neared Sasayan.

"Hi there, Sasayan-kun!" Ana greeted cheerfully. Sasayan looked surpsied and quite confused by the girl knowing his name. He managed a small smile and greeted back.

"Don't mind us knowing your name," Akiho smiled. "It's just that one of our friends can't seem to stop talking about you."

Sasayan's eyebrow raised at this. "Who-"

Before he finished his question, Maya pulled a reluctant and red-faced Natsume with her and promptly shoved her in front of a surprised Sasayan.

"There. Have fun you two." Ana giggled and the three of them waved back and left.

With the two of them alone, Natsume suddenly felt awkward. She hadn't seen him for months now, what is he supposed to say.

"Sasayan-kun." Natsume said, unsure.

Sasayan chuckled lightly. "They were your friends? I see. I'm glad you're getting along with them."

Natsume smiled, feeling at ease, and she looked at Sasayan in the eye for the first time.

"I'm sorry for coming to see you so suddenly, Natsume-san." He smiled sheepishly. "I missed you."

Natsume felt tear form at the corner of her eyes and she smiled.

"Stupid Sasayan, I missed you too."

oooo

They were now sitting inside one of the cafes near Natsume's school. Natsume ordered donuts for both of them.

Sasayan was now telling her of a story about how he almost skipped class once because he had to stay up late at night to study for a quiz for another subject. Earlier, he also told him of the new friends he made and how he and Shimonayagi-kun (who were in the same school as him) managed to adjust to university. Natsume noted how his eyes light up when he mentioned that he got accepted into the baseball club of his new school and told her that despite how busy he is, he is still glad to be able to play baseball once in every while.

"So, what is up to you aside from making those three your friends?" he asked when he finished his stories.

"Nothing much. I go to school, I write blogs-"

"You still write in your blogs?"

"Of course! It's not like I have to stop."

Sasayan chuckled, "Right, right. Have you heard from Mizutani-san?"

Natsume paused. "Well, I called her last night but she hang up." She gave an irritated expression. "That Mitty, she didn't even reacted when I told her I miss her." She relaxed. "I talked with Haru last week on our group chat. He seems to be enjoying himself."

Sasayan slightly pouted at that. "You never called me or messaged me. And I still don't have your secret number."

Natsume chuckled. "But you said you'll come visit me, so I didn't think of it."

There was a slight smile on Sasayan's face. "I did say that. But you could have rang on me too, you know."

Natsume fidgeted on her seat. "I guess I could have. But I am not really sure. I figured it was better to just see you in person." She looked up to see Sasayan slightly red in the face.

"I-It's not what you think! Don't get any ideas!"

Sasayan exhaled deeply before looking at her again. "I'm sorry Natsume-san. I would have really wanted to meet you soon, but I got caught up in school."

Natsume nodded. "It's alright."

"Have you got more suitors now?"

Natsume blinked back at him. "W-What.."

"You still reject boys, right?"

"O-of course! I hate boys!"

Sasayan chuckled. "Good." He smiled. "Good."

Natsume stared at him curiously. "What's good, Sasayan-kun?"

"I was wondering whether I gained any competition."

Natsume flustered at that. "What are you talking about!?"

"HAHAHAHA. Natsume-san, you wouldn't think I've stopped liking you, won't you?"

Natsume looked down on the table. "Well, I- uhm, ah…"

"I still like you very much, Natsume-san."

Natsume slowly met his steady gaze.

"I know that." She said softly and was surprised to see that Sasayan had gone red.

"Hey, Sasayan-kun. You're blushing a lot." She said teasingly.

"I-I'm not." Sasayan tried to look away. Natsume giggled in her seat.

Sasayan coughed. "So, how are you doing with your studies, Natsume-san?"

"You're changing the subject!"

"No, I'm not.''

"You are!"

oooo

Sasayan walked her back to her dorm. They talked more along the way and they updated each other with the things they knew about their friends. Sasayan told her that he was in the same school as his ex-girlfriend in middle school.

"I was surprised to see Yamase in school. We are classmates in one of our subjects that's where I met here." He laughed lightly. "How do I say this, she hasn't changed quite that much since the last time I saw her in middle school."

Natsume felt a bit weird inside and she didn't noticed Sasayan's ramblings.

"Natsume." Natsume abruptly turned to look at Sasayan who was staring at him concerned.

"Are you alright? I've been calling you for quite some time now."

"I'm sorry, I got distracted."

Sasayan stared a bit longer at her before looking up at the evening sky.

"Wow, the sky is pretty tonight."

Natsume looked at the sky as well. "You're right. It's kinda hard to notice it when you're busy worrying about tomorrow's school."

Sasayan looked down at Natsume, "That's true. Plus seeing you again today sort of made it more special." He grinned.

"You're the only girl I like, Natsume. I don't think it would change anytime soon." He walked on ahead.

Natsume stared blushingly from behind him. A warm feeling rising up in her chest.

Sasayan turned his head to look back at Natsume and she immediately turned sideways.

"Hey, walk faster Natsume-san." He sounded annoyed.

"Ye-yeah."

Today was indeed special.


End file.
